1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates, in general, to cleaning apparatus and more specifically, to apparatus for cleaning vehicle windows.
2. Description of the Art
Various tools are available to clean the exterior surface of vehicle windows. Such tools typically include a handle and a perpendicularly oriented cleaning element, such as a wiper blade, sponge rubber pad and combinations thereof. Water or ammonia based cleaning fluid is applied to the exterior surface of the vehicle window and scraped off by the tools to remove debris. Such tools are easy to use on the exterior surface of vehicle windows since the exterior surface of the vehicle windows is easily accessible both to apply cleaning fluid to the windows and to remove the fluid and debris from the windows.
However, such tools are ineffective in cleaning the inner surface of vehicle windows. The extreme angles of the vehicle windshield and backlight with respect to the dashboard and rear seat shelf in conjunction with adjacent vehicle components, such as the rear view mirror, steering wheel and rear, center brake light housing make it difficult to get the edges of a cleaning tool close to the extreme lower edges of the windshield and backlight. In addition, applying fluid, which is typically in the form of a spray, to the inner surfaces of the windshield and backlight results in a significant amount of the spray being deposited on the underlying horizontal surfaces adjacent to the windows, such as the vehicle dashboard and the rear shelf.
Thus, the most common implements used to clean the inner surfaces of vehicle windows are sponges, rags and paper towels. Manual force is exerted through the user""s hands to manually apply cleaning fluid and/or spray to the inner surface of the windows and then to manipulate the cleaning element in a back and forth or circular motion across the surface of the windows. While a user may be able with a considerable amount of effort to clean most of the inner surface of the vehicle window, it is still difficult to completely clean the edges of the window and, more importantly, the lower edges of a vehicle windshield and backlight.
A variety of tools have been devised specifically to clean the inner surfaces of vehicle windows. Such tools are typically formed of a pad which is connected to an elongated handle. A cleaning element is attached to one side of the pad by various means including clips, straps, or hook and pile fasteners. However, each of these tools is specifically devised for a single type of cleaning operation, such as scrubbing or drying, but not both.
While such tools improve the reach of the user and enable the user to clean the lower edges of vehicle windows, and in particular, the windshield and backlight, it is believed that further improvements can be made to such vehicle window cleaning apparatus to make the cleaning apparatus easier to use, to provide easily detachable and interchangeable mounting of different shaped pads or plates to the handle, as well as providing easy replacement of wet, soiled cleaning elements.
The present invention is a cleaning apparatus particularly suited for cleaning and drying the interior surfaces of vehicle windows.
In one aspect, the cleaning apparatus includes a substantially rigid paddle having first and second opposed surfaces. The paddle may have a concave bend between opposed ends. A handle is pivotally connected on one end to the first surface of the paddle. A cleaning element is removably affixed to the paddle. The cleaning element includes a first surface mountable in registry with the second surface of the paddle and side edges disposed over a peripheral portion of the paddle. Elastic means are provided on the side edges of the cleaning element for elastically securing the cleaning element about the paddle.
Preferably, the cleaning element forms part of a cleaning system which includes at least two distinct cleaning elements, one a scrubbing element including a fluid saturable inner layer and, another, a drying body formed of an absorbent material. The ends of the side edges of the cleaning element are drawn inward by the elastic means to form an opening normally smaller than the periphery of the paddle.
Hinge means are cooperatively formed on the first surface of the paddle and the one end of the handle for pivotally connecting the paddle to the handle. Means are formed on the hinge means for biasing a pivot pin into a hinge receiver to detachably connect the paddle to the handle.
Preferably, the hinge means includes first and second pivot pins extending coaxially outward from opposed sides of the one end of the handle. First and second receivers are mounted on the paddle for receiving the first and second pivot pins, respectively. A spring biased means is carried on the handle for retractably biasing one of the first and second pivot pins outward from the handle.
An aperture is formed in the end of the handle opening to an interior chamber in the end of the handle. A slider carries one of the first and second pivot pins and is movably disposed within the interior chamber. A spring is engagable with the slider for normally biasing the slider to a position in which the one of the first and second pivot pins extends outward through the aperture in the end of the handle for releasable engagement in one of the first and second receivers. A projection extends from the slider through another opening in the handle to facilitate manual movement of the slider.
In another aspect of the present invention, the above-described cleaning apparatus forms part of a cleaning system which includes a first handle, a plurality of cleaning elements of the same or different shape, and a plurality of paddles, at least some of which have a different peripheral shape. The cleaning elements are easily mountable onto any of the paddles to enable a clean and dry cleaning element to be used when needed. In addition, each of the paddles is quickly and easily attachable and detachable from the handle for ease in using the cleaning system of the present invention.
In another aspect, the cleaning apparatus and cleaning system of the present invention includes a second handle having a generally inverted U-shape with opposed lower ends extending oppositely outward from each other. The handle ends are releasably mountable in a second pair of receivers formed on each paddle. The paddles receive cleaning elements as in the above-described aspects of the invention.
Generally, the second handle is of one-piece construction with lower S-shaped side legs extending between an upper hand engagement portion and the ends. The S-shape side legs are is configured to absorb forces exerted by the user on the handle during movement of the paddle. The second set receivers may also be formed on the same paddles in the first aspect of the invention. This enables either the first or second handles to be employed with any paddle thereby further enhancing the interchangeability of the various components of the cleaning system of the present invention.
The cleaning apparatus of the present invention affords numerous advantages over prior cleaning apparatus devised for cleaning the interior surfaces of vehicle windows. The present cleaning apparatus enables a plurality of different shaped paddles and attached scrubbing and drying elements to be detachably mounted on one handle for use in practically any vehicle window cleaning application. The cleaning apparatus lends itself to use as part of a cleaning system formed of one or more handles, a plurality of different shaped paddles, and releasably attachable cleaning elements. The cleaning elements are easily mountable and removable from the paddles and the paddles are easily attachable and detachable to either handle. The present cleaning apparatus enables a user, for example, to easily reach the lower edges of the interior surface of vehicle windows adjacent to the vehicle dash board or rear backlight despite the extreme angles of such windows with respect to interior vehicle surfaces and the adjacent rear view mirror, steering wheel or rear center brake light assembly housing.
The present cleaning apparatus is also usable without a handle. In such an application, the user need only grab the two enlarged receivers on the paddles for the first handle to manipulate the paddle and attached cleaning element over a surface. The different cleaning elements are easily attachable and removable from the paddle thereby minimizing the total time required for each cleaning operation as a scrubbing element and one or more drying elements can be quickly and easily mounted on a paddle.